Ojo Farmers See Three-Week Vegetable Cycle as Food Supply Opportunity
Oluwatobi Adu 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Vegetable farmers in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State say their three-week harvest cycle could help the state increase local food production and reduce reliance on supplies from outside Lagos.
The farmers said faster crop turnaround, combined with better access to farmland, financing, irrigation, machinery and transport, could enable them to significantly expand vegetable production for Lagos markets.
Speaking in an interview on Sunday, Chairperson of the Ojo Farmers Community, Mayriam Ali, said the area already produces substantial volumes of vegetables, with some of the produce reaching international markets. “Lagos has enough. I am very sure that we have enough. The vegetables that are coming out from Ojo Local Government, 75 per cent of it is going outside the country,” Ali said.
She identified farms around Lagos State University and military barracks as some of the areas contributing to vegetable production in Ojo.
Ali said the short production cycle gives Lagos an opportunity to rapidly increase local food supply if farmers receive the right support. “Our vegetables last for three weeks. When you plant now, in three weeks, you are ready to harvest. So, it is achievable if the government comes to the field and looks at the problems we have,” she said.
She urged the Lagos State Government to engage directly with farmers and regularly visit production areas to understand the challenges affecting agricultural output.
According to her, improved access to land, affordable finance, farm machinzry and irrigation would enable farmers to increase production and supply more vegetables to consumers within Lagos.
Ali also called for project-linked financing that would allow farmers to access equipment and repay the cost over time. She said better transportation was equally important to ensure harvested vegetables could reach markets and airports quickly, reducing losses and improving farmers’ access to consumers.
The farmers’ concerns come amid Lagos State’s efforts to increase local food production and reduce the gap between the state’s large population and its agricultural output.
Ali said the state’s target of increasing the proportion of food consumed in Lagos that is produced locally would require stronger collaboration between government and farmers.
She maintained that supporting farmers at the production level could enable Lagos to take advantage of the short growth cycle of vegetables and increase the volume of fresh produce available to residents.
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Mirian Gom 
